This is the delayed gratification study in which kids would be left alone with a sweet treat and told that they could have it if they wanted -- but that if they waited until the supervising adult returned, they could have two.

While going through my mail, I called the companies responsible for the three largest subscription-based services that my family uses. We always want to save money, but we are especially in need of tightening the belt right now as we deal with some unforeseen costs.

When I told them that I was looking to cut costs immediately, the first company's customer service representative looked at my account and found a way to cut one service and upgrade another to reduce my monthly bill from about $103 to about $39 on a promotional offer lasting 12 months. Then he explicitly told me to call back in 12 months -- “to tell us to keep earning your business.” Over those 12 months, I'll save about $770.

The second company's representative gave me a promotional offer reducing my bill from about $98 to about $49 -- for six months. Over those six months, I'll save about $290.

The third company was a company that I had recently haggled with. They could only reduce my monthly bill from about $95 to about $85. But, like the second company, they're a luxury service we can really live without (and which we use less than the second company), so I suspended my account effective right before the next billing cycle. I can suspend my account for up to six months out of any calendar year. If we keep it suspended for the full six months, I'll save about $570.

The process took about an hour and a half total, during which I also went through a bunch of junk mail and filed a stack of papers I'd had sitting around for weeks. It will save me about $1,250 over the next six months alone.

1. Have your most recent bill handy, so you can quickly give your account number when asked. It's also going to come in handy if the person you're on the phone with starts offering discounts on particular parts of your bill, if it's something that's itemized. For example, if you have phone and internet service, you can see what the phone service costs and what the internet service costs.

2. Be prepared to say “no, thanks” a lot to up-sells. You're here to save money. They're going to say they could offer you a larger discount on a bigger package, but if it's not shrinking the bottom line, you're not interested. On the other hand, sometimes upgraded service comes with a promotional discount. Be sure to ask when promotions expire, then program a calendar reminder to call back right before they do.

3. Know your line in the sand. You can cancel any service. You really can. A lot of the times that I call up to negotiate these types of things, I know I'm targeting a 40 percent reduction in price or a 50 percent reduction in price, or a fee waived. Something. And I know that if I don't get it, the service isn't worth it to me and I'll either find comparable services elsewhere or simply go without.

Being prepared will help you be a lot more patient with the process. And it's a process that does require patience. But remember: If you're patient, polite and you save money, that's a win.

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